The Treehouse Project
A backyard build, documented as it happens.
Complete
Treehouse complete!
Treehouse complete!
Siding painted, railings on, ladder in, bunting hung. Teddy and Ace are officially moved in.
The whole crew
Family and friends up on the deck to celebrate the finished build.
First playdate
Hot Wheels track down, camp chairs set up, and a full house of kids inside.
Me and my builders
Teddy and Ace on the deck with me. It was a good day to build a treehouse.
House
Walls, roof, siding, door, porch, and ladder.
Railings up
Porch railings done. Just about ready for the crew.
Cut station
Miter saw set up on the lawn to cut the porch railing pieces.
Ladder in
Ladder built and attached, railing posts going up around the porch.
Little helper
Drill in hand, ready to help finish the ladder.
Porch posts
Posts bolted to the porch framing for the railings.
Siding on
Siding up and painted. It finally looks like a house.
Porch taking shape
Porch framing extended toward the trunk, door primed.
Door hung
Board-and-batten door hung and the opening flashed.
Window flashing
Window taped in with ZIP flashing tape.
Door and trim
Built the door and trim frame on the driveway.
Roof framed
Fascia on, window in, door opening framed.
Roof decking
ZIP panels on the roof, tucked up under the magnolia branches.
Sheathing crew
Taking a quick break in front of the fresh sheathing.
Rafters on
Rafters set and the door opening framed out.
Build day
Good company on build day.
Sheathing going on
ZIP panels going up on the walls.
Walls framed
All four wall frames up and braced, first ZIP panel in place.
Standing tall
Wall frames up, braced and plumb. First time the treehouse has walls.
Walls going up
Wall frames braced in place, seen from the deck.
Raising the walls
Me, Greg, and Dave lifting the first wall frame into place on the platform.
Deck
Platform framed, decked, and claimed by the crew.
Family on the platform
Me, Teddy, and Ace on the deck for the first time.
Little builder
Ace grabbed the drill and got to work. No hesitation.
Teaching the tools
Showing Teddy how to drive screws. He's a natural.
Kids claim the deck
Deck boards barely down and Teddy and Ace are already up here.
Platform framing
Farley and Ace helping to install the platform joists.
On top of it
Celebrating up on the new platform. It is real.
First deck boards
First few deck boards screwed down on the platform frame.
Beam frame on piers
Freestanding beam structure leveled and set on the concrete piers.
Footings
Measuring, digging, and pouring the foundation.
Supports and footings
First support beams bolted to the tree. Concrete pier footings set in the ground.
Concrete in pajamas
Ace mixing concrete in her pajamas. Committed to the cause.
Strongest on the crew
Ace hauling the concrete tube form. Strongest one on the crew.
Setting post holes
Ace and me setting the post holes.
Footing holes
Footing holes dug. Three piers to support the platform.
Digging with the crew
Teddy and Ace helping dig the footing holes.
Measuring up
Leveling the first beam. String line from the tree to figure out the right height.
Tribeam
The TABs, the Tribeam, and the first climb.
First one up
Teddy's the first one up on the Tribeam.
Installing the TAB
Me, Tristan, and Dave using every ounce of leverage we can manage to get the TAB installed.
Triangle brace
Triangle brace frame laid out and test-fitted.
Tribeam assembled
After a lot of creative cuts, finally got the Tribeam assembled.
Birthday TABs
My birthday present — TABs for the treehouse! What more could I ask for?